Abstract

Three phages fS1, fS2 and fS3 which utilized Streptomyces diastaticus, S.griseus and S.hygroscopicus respectively, as propagation hosts, were isolated from the soils of jarrah forest in Western Australia. They were partially characterized through their physiochemical properties, plaque morphology, host range and particle morphology. Host range of these three Siphoviridae (B1) morphotype phages demonstrated a wide activity spectra within the genus Streptomyces. Adsorption rate constants and burst sizes of the three phages were in the range of 1.58x10-7, 1.26x10-7 and 5.97x10-9 ml/min and 15.5, 22.5, 12.9 virions/cell, respectively. Agarose electrophoresis of restriction endonuclease digests of the phage DNAs indicated that the three phages were different.